Samantha Akkineni says Vishal has delivered his career best performance in Irumbu Thirai

The teaser of Vishal’s Irumbu Thirai was launched yesterday with the entire cast and crew in attendance, except Action King Arjun, who plays the baddie in the movie. Directed by debutant PS Mithran and produced by Vishal Film Factory, Irumbu Thirai has Vishal and Samantha Ruth Prabhu as leads. The movie is slated to hit screens worldwide on 26 January during the Republic Day weekend alongside Anushka Shetty’s Bhaagamathie and Jayam Ravi’s Tik Tik Tik.

PS Mithran, Vishal and Samantha Akkineni at the teaser launch of Irumbu Thirai

Earlier, the film was announced as a Pongal 2018 release. Clarifying about the delay, Vishal said, “I know so many friends who were praying that I shouldn’t contest in RK Nagar elections. Director PS Mithran was also one of them (laughs). He wanted to complete the project and release it for Pongal 2018. But since I was busy with the election, we had postponed our shoot, and that’s why the release date has been changed to 26 January.”

Talking about various allegations leveled against him of late, Vishal, in an ambiguous tone, said, “Ever since we took charge in Producers Council and Nadigar Sangam, we have faced both brickbats and encouraging words from various people. But, I’ve never cared about those who continuously try to bring us down with their slanders. Whenever I face the mirror, it reflects my real self. I know that I’m honest and being faithful to my conscience.”

Vishal is quite upbeat about how Irumbu Thirai has shaped up. The team will wrap up the entire shooting today, after which the post-production will kick-start in full swing.

“I always wanted to be a part of a stylish film that connects with today’s youngsters. That’s when Mithran narrated me the story of Irumbu Thirai. I thought it would be a perfect follow up to Thupparivaalan. Cinematographer George C Williams’ enthusiasm encouraged me more to take up this project. And George has a great track record with Samantha in two super-hit films (Vijay’s Kaththi and Theri). So, I believe the success story continues in Irumbu Thirai too. The audio launch of our film will happen in Malaysia on 6 January at the grand Natchathira Kalaivizha (Stars’ Night), which will see the likes of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan in attendance,” said Vishal.

“Irumbu Thirai is going to be a very important film in my career,” says Vishal

On sharing screen space with Samantha for the first time, Vishal said, “Irumbu Thirai is going to be a very important film in my career. I enjoyed working on this project, both as an actor and a producer. It’s my first-time collaboration with Samantha. She’s such a lovely person first, and by profession, she’s a beautiful heroine. She truly lit up the sets whenever she was shooting, and we had great fun working together. Having a great co-artist is nice. The highlight of the film will be the love track between us, and it has come out really well. The entire film has been a fantastic journey.”

“Irumbu Thirai talks about the ill effects of technological advancements. How others can exploit our information without our knowledge is presented neatly in the film. We wanted to show how dangerous the cyber world is through this movie. It’s almost like cyber-terrorism. Since we have talked about real issues, we made sure that there are no preachy dialogues in the film,” he added.

Asked if she is being treated differently by the film fraternity after marriage, Samantha said, “I started shooting three days after my marriage. Nothing has changed now. I don’t feel any different and nobody treats me differently. 2018 has arrived, and I have seen a lot of change.”

Samantha sounded very confident about the film, which has music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. “I felt like Vishal was younger than me because he had incredible energy on the set. It was wonderful working with him. His look and performance in the film are definitely his best. The film looks very stylish because of George’s excellent cinematography. I’m very very confident that Irumbu Thirai will work,” said Samantha.

“Irumbu Thirai has been a magnificent journey for me,” says director Mithran

Director PS Mithran thanked Vishal for trusting him with the project, which has changed his life. “Irumbu Thirai has been a magnificent journey for me. From conceiving the story of this film to wrapping up the shooting tomorrow, it’s been four years. This movie has already witnessed three elections of Vishal (laughs). I have narrated this story to a lot of producers in the industry. When Vishal heard the narration, he immediately gave his consent. Likewise, when I told the story to Samantha in Hyderabad, she agreed to come on board the same day.”